New entry in orbital launch business ready for first flight

KESQ News ^ | 11/26/05

[KevinDavis]

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. A newly developed rocket designed to break into the orbital launch business with low-cost service is waiting on a Pacific atoll to make its maiden flight.

The Falcon 1 had been scheduled for launch yesterday from a pad in the Marshall Islands but the launch was bumped back to 1 p-m today because of preparations for a missile defense test launch.

The rocket's payload is a satellite for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the Air Force Academy. FalconSat-2 will measure space plasma phenomena, which can impair space-based communications.

The Falcon 1 rocket is the first in what is intended to be a family of launch vehicles from El Segundo-based SpaceX. The company is the latest enterprise of Elon Musk, whose previous endeavors include PayPal, the online payment service now owned by eBay.

[neodad]

Is that 1 p.m. Pacific?

[KevinDavis]

Launched has been moved to 4:pm cst... Check out Out of Bounds or check out Spacefligtnow.com

[KevinDavis]

Yes...

[manwiththehands]

What's that sound? Yes, it is. It's the sound of NASA dying.

[Brett66]

Spacex said they would provide updates on their website, though it won't be immediate.

Spacex

Just click on the launch info button on their home page.

[Prime Choice]

Enough talk. Launch.

[Prime Choice]

What's that sound? Yes, it is. It's the sound of NASA dying.

Hear that sound? It's the sound of someone who doesn't know what the hell he's talking about.

[Prime Choice]

It's 1:20 PM PST and do you know where your rocket is?   ;o)

[Prime Choice]

From SpaceX.com:
Falcon 1 Launch Now Scheduled for 2 p.m. CA time.

[KevinDavis]

Due to possible wind issues...

[cmsgop]

I said Lunch not Launch !!!!!!!!!!!

[SunkenCiv]

Space.com appears to have nothing on its homepage about this upcoming launch. A Google news search turned up a source (RedBolivia) which claimed that the launch had gone off without a hitch, but there's nothing at the link, so I'm guessing that story was bogus and was pulled.

[KevinDavis]

Now the launch may happen at 5:10 est.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Right here: http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/launches/next_launch.html

They just put it up a few minutes ago.

[KevinDavis]

16 mins and counting...

[KevinDavis]

Correction 3 minutes and counting...

[KevinDavis]

Still now word...

[KevinDavis]

From spaceflightnow:

Flying through thick clouds or electrically-charged clouds can cause a space booster to generate "rocket-triggered lightning" that would damage the vehicle's vital avionics. Exactly what the weather concern is today in Kwajalein has not been announced.

[Termite_Commander]

Space.com says 5:10 EST.

I don't suppose there's any kind of camera feed or anything, right?

[KevinDavis]

No. :(

[Termite_Commander]

Oh well. It's still exciting. =P

[KevinDavis]

I agree...

[Termite_Commander]

By my clock, it's 5:11 EST. Time for launch?

[KevinDavis]

Hold on sec...

[Prime Choice]

Due to possible wind issues...

Fair enough. I presume the wind is still blowing as it's past 14:10 PST and no reports of joy on the launch.

[KevinDavis]

Another 2 hours I guess they are refueling the LOX tanks.. Just launch it!!

[Termite_Commander]

Space.com changed their launch thingy from 5:10 EST to

"Falcon 1
November 26, 2005
4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. EST
(2100-0100 GMT"

Delayed again, perhaps? Still, better be safe than have a blown up rocket.

[Termite_Commander]

Update from Spaceflight Now...

"Countdown clocks remain stopped at T-minus 10 minutes because of unfavorable weather conditions over the launch site. We have no information from SpaceX on the weather forecast or the chances for improvement."

[Termite_Commander]

Space.com's countdown clock reads 2 hours, 42 minutes. Isn't that the very end of their launch window?

[Frank_Discussion]

Oh. I thought it was the beans... D@mn, this "NASA is dying" BS is about as good as disbanding the Army because someone uses mercenaries somewhere. I amd very glad Falcon is getting the door open for public space, but killing NASA is not going to serve our strategic needs.

[KevinDavis]

[Prime Choice]

This makes a lot of months of press releases about one launch that has yet to happen. I can't remember how many times our esteemed Kevin Davis (hat tip to the Space Ping captain) has posted a breathless "This will be the FIRST PRIVATE LAUNCH!" press release only to have it all peter out in another delay.

I say spare the ink, launch the rocket, then tout it.

[KevinDavis]

I agree.... Out of all Government agencies, NASA and the military is where I don't mind seeing my money spent...

[Prime Choice]

Heh. I made a similar remark when DARPA put a project out to freelance engineers and post-grads. A lot of great stuff came out of the collegiate and private sector circles and I tossed in a flippant, "Gee, I guess we should have MIT take over the DoD."

Quiet? Even the crickets noticed.

[Termite_Commander]

I'd say though NASA has a lot of problems, they are useful. They just need to start spending in a wiser fashion, and be more inclusive of entrepreneurs who also want to explore space.

On the latter point though, they have started to do just that lately.

[RightWhale]

The Japanese asteroid mission has apparently retrieved its sample and will return to earth with it in 2007 to land in Australia. Does that qualify as non-NASA?

[Termite_Commander]

I'm going to go juggle or something. I'll be checking back periodically.

[KevinDavis]

Well to be fair the reason why NASA has problems was due to the fact that is force to go a certain direction... After the Apollo moon landings NASA was forced to back to LEO by the Nixon admin.. However, I think Nixon wanted to due more,but he had a Rat control congress. Ford wasn't in long enough to make an effect, Carter, I'm not going to say much but you know. Reagan tried to do something, but did not have the votes in Congress. Same thing with Bush I. Clinton didn't give a damn. It seems that Bush II bringing in Griffin is the reason why NASA is headed in that direction.

[Amish with an attitude]

Observed At: Kwajalein, Marshall Islands
Elevation: 26 ft / 8 m

84 °F / 29 °C
Overcast
Heat Index: 92 °F / 34 °C
Humidity: 74%
Dew Point: 75 °F / 24 °C
Wind: 20 mph / 32 km/h from the ENE
Pressure: 29.82 in / 1010 hPa
Visibility: 10.0 miles / 16.1 kilometers
UV: 2 out of 16
Clouds: Few 2400 ft / 731 m
Few 17000 ft / 5181 m
Scattered Clouds 28000 ft / 8534 m
Overcast 35000 ft / 10668 m
(Above Ground Level)

[Momaw Nadon]

Liftoff!

[KevinDavis]

Countdown at 2 hrs and 20 mins...

[Prime Choice]

They just need to start spending in a wiser fashion, and be more inclusive of entrepreneurs who also want to explore space.

Space has been open the whole time to entrepreneurs. Nobody wants to fund their own research, however. Instead, they leave it to NASA. Then, after NASA does all the R&D, private industry is free to snag it and run with it. Always has been.

That said, Administrator Griffin does appear to agree with your core sentiment and is actively encouraging private handling of LEO flight and things like ISS so NASA can do the heavy lifting in returning to Luna and moving on to Mars.

[manwiththehands]

Private industry will be going to the stars before NASA figures out how to keep the foam from coming off the shuttle fuel tank.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks!

[KevinDavis]

Which NASA should have done in the first place..

[KevinDavis]

From spaceflightnow:

The team continues to work on the launch pad liquid oxygen tanks. Countdown activities remain on hold. A new launch time hasn't been established.

[prisoner6]

2353 GMT (6:53 p.m. EST)

The launch window has been lengthened an additional two hours -- to 10 p.m. EST (0300 GMT). A spokesman for SpaceX says it still looks good that launch will happen today.

FYI prisoner6

[Prime Choice]

Which NASA should have done in the first place..

It did. Remember that systems and subsystems throughout NASA's history were farmed out to private contractors. It's just that no businesses wanted to assume the economic or legal liability of actually doing the heavy lifting. NASA didn't stop anybody from enterting space. Everyone else was restricted by their own self-imposed limitations.

[Prime Choice]

Private industry will be going to the stars before NASA figures out how to keep the foam from coming off the shuttle fuel tank.

That's a beautiful story. It needs beautiful music.

Private industry won't invest the money to do the job. They sure as hell didn't bother going to the moon when NASA stopped doing it, now did they?